


Every Time a Bell Rings

by astudyinfic



Series: Holidays 2020 [1]
Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Can be read as friendship or romance, Fluff, Gen, It's a Wonderful Life, M/M, Not Beta Read, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:46:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27823222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: They say every time a bell rings, an angel gets their wings.Aziraphale isn't so sure about that but it does give him an idea.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Holidays 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036116
Comments: 10
Kudos: 32





	Every Time a Bell Rings

**Author's Note:**

> **Day 1: Bells**
> 
> Prompts can be found [here](https://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/635866337200259072/decided-it-was-time-for-a-new-holiday-prompt-list).

Aziraphale slipped his hand into the crook of Crowley’s elbow as they walked down the street. He hummed to himself, one of the Christmas songs the pianist had been playing at the restaurant. Neither of them had said anything since stepping out into the chilled London night, both content enough in one another’s presence not to feel the need to fill every silence with chatter. 

They crossed the street to avoid walking over the ground in front of the church (Crowley still didn’t like the feel of consecrated ground, though he claimed the pain was significantly less than it used to be) when the church bells began to toll the hour. 

“Oh, how lovely,” Aziraphale exclaimed under his breath, pausing to look up at the steeple with the fondness that he looked at most human creations. (At least those that were more than a hundred years old. It took time for him to work up that appreciation, thank you.)

"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings," Crowley muttered under his breath. 

Unsure if he heard his partner right or not, Aziraphale stared at him. "What are you talking about, Crowley dear? You know better than most that those of us with wings were created with them. They have nothing to do with bells at all."

Crowley blinked rapidly behind his sunglasses and Aziraphale watched a myriad of emotions flutter across the demon's face. "It's from a film, angel."

"Oh, I never did like the moving picture shows. Give me a good book any day." Not that he had to say that. Crowley knew him better than anyone in heaven, hell, or right here on earth. But, still, if Crowley expected him to know something from one of those films, he just wasn't going to have the foggiest notion.

Smiling the barest hint of a smile, Crowley steered Aziraphale away from the church and back towards the book shop. By the time they got there, a large TV was taking up a portion of the wall in the backroom and Aziraphale sputtered when he saw it. "I say, you can't put that there! What did you do with all the books?!"

"They're all safely on a new shelf out in the shop, in no order whatsoever so you can spend all day tomorrow reorganizing them." Crowley really did know him so well and Aziraphale kissed his cheek in thanks. It would be good fun to reorganize the books and give him a reason to ignore any customers that might stumble in. 

It still left a rather unsightly television in his backroom and that just wouldn't do. "You know I am happy for you to make yourself comfortable but I really don't see why that needs to be here."

"Because we are going to watch It's a Wonderful Life. You say you don't like films, but I think you will like this one."

Aziraphale was skeptical. He had never actually sat down to watch one before but he knew on principle that he didn't like them. But if this was important to Crowley, he supposed he could give it a try.

For the first ten minutes or so, Aziraphale offered his opinion on everything, criticizing and nitpicking anything that jumped out at him. But slowly, he started to lose himself in the story, just like he did with a good book. Before he knew it, the movie came to an end and he was sniffling on the couch, trying to hide his tears from Crowley. He wiped at his eyes, looking away when he heard a sniffle beside him. "Are you crying, dear?"

While Aziraphale expected Crowley to deny it, the demon simply nodded. "This movie always makes me cry." The _don't tell everyone, I have a reputation to maintain_ was implied and besides, there was no one Aziraphale would want to tell anyway. 

"I can see why. What a lovely story. He was so lost and couldn't see what he had right in front of him. So many humans feel like that, don't you think? And they can't see how wonderful the world around them is through all the pain of their personal circumstances. It's too bad angels don't actually work like that. We might finally do some good in the world." He glanced up nervously. "Not that I am questioning the great plan or our purpose, just...the humans could use some guidance like that sometimes."

"What's stopping you from doing it?" Crowley's sincere question stopped Aziraphale's thoughts in their tracks and he truly considered. Since the Apocawasn't, he'd been searching for something to do, some purpose that he was now missing in his life. Maybe this was what he was looking for?

He sighed, thinking about all the people who could use help and he was only one angel. There was no way he could do it on his own. But even a few people helped would make a difference in their worlds, and might inspire them to help others. Like Crowley's demonic acts only...nice. "I think you are right, dear. There is nothing stopping me. Just like there is nothing stopping you from helping them as well. Don't even try and tell me you don't want to. No one cares more about these humans than you do, no matter what you might say." When Crowley didn't say anything, Aziraphale continued, "Besides, the arrangement is null and void since the world didn't end so maybe it is time for something new?"

They talked for the rest of the night, Aziraphale coming up with a plan that Crowley eventually agreed to. 

The next week, a new bell was installed next to the cash register in the bookshop, one that rang on occasion for seemingly no reason. When a customer would ask, Aziraphale would smile and shrug but say nothing more. 

What the customers didn't know was that in a posh flat across town, there was also a bell that rang on occasion. One that rang whenever Aziraphale worked as a guardian angel to some human in desperate need. Just as the one in the bookshop rang when Crowley intervened in someone's office. 

Every time a bell rang, an angel might not get their wings, but for two bells in London, every time they rang, a human's life got just a little bit better, thanks to some angelic or demonic intervention.


End file.
